2009 Ford F-150

For Matt O'Leary and Pat Schiavone, P415 was just another assignment. To their bosses in Dearborn, though, P415 -- the internal codename for the 2009 Ford F-150 -- was almost certainly the Ford Motor Company's single most important new-model design and development program this decade. The F-150 is a phenomenon: More than 33 million have been sold since the nameplate was launched in 1948, and the F-Series has been America's best-selling truck for 31 years straight. Last year, one in three vehicles carrying the Blue Oval badge sold in America was an F-Series. On a world scale, the F-Series accounts for 13 percent of global Ford Motor Company sales -- including Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mazda, the lot. This thing is a big deal in Dearborn.

Chief engineer O'Leary and chief designer Schiavone seem remarkably relaxed about it all, however, as they walk us through the detail of the new F-150. That's because they're old hands at this game: They and their teams worked together on P221, the F-150 that launched in 2004. O'Leary's spent 30 years at Ford, most of it working on truck programs. Schiavone grew up around trucks -- his father was in the construction business -- and has helped design three generations of F-150. These guys know trucks.

They understand that, even though barely 20 percent of customers will ever use the 2009 F-150 as a hard-core work tool, it's become more important than ever that it looks truck tough on the outside and is truck tough under the skin. "It's almost the modern horse, a bit of a cowboy culture thing," says Schiavone. "Trucks grew out of the occasional imperative," says O'Leary, "I have the capability if I need it."

Both men also understand that full-size-pickup buyers are among the most conservative consumer groups in the auto biz. Which is why the 2009 F-150 is a carefully considered study in evolution, not revolution. It starts with the fully boxed frame, which is 25 pounds lighter and 10 percent stiffer, thanks to hydroformed high-strength-steel side rails. The double wishbone short- and long-arm front suspension with coil-over shocks shares components with the 2008 Expedition. The 36mm front stabilizer is hollow and eight pounds lighter than the previous component. At the rear are six-inch-longer leaf springs, the extra length forward of the axle centerline for better lateral compliance and reduced rear-axle steer.